Bills continue to come in for costs incurred by the Dakota Access Pipeline protest.

The state’s Emergency Commission has approved another $5 million in borrowing authority from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota to cover the costs. That puts the amount of borrowing authority at over $40 million.

Meanwhile, that commission has given its OK to receive $10 million in federal grant funds for the DAPL protest. That money will be used to pay back the Bank for loans.

The Public Service Commission and the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline have reached a settlement over some reported problems with the company following the siting permit the PSC issued for the pipeline.

The problems included taking out more trees and shrubs along the route than outlined in the permit. Also, Energy Transfer Partners re-routed a part of the line away from cultural resources. The company notified the State Historic Preservation Office, but did not tell the PSC.

Negotiations continue between legal staff at the North Dakota Public Service Commission and the owners of the Dakota Access pipeline over what could be violations of the pipeline’s siting permit.

There are two areas of concern. One is the company’s rerouting of a portion of the pipeline to avoid culturally sensitive areas. The other is the company clearing more trees and brush along the pipeline route than it was authorized to do. Both were done without PSC approval.

A hearing had been scheduled on the re-route – but was postponed to allow the negotiations to take place.

Attorneys for the North Dakota Public Service Commission and the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline will be meeting again to try and work out a settlement on a number of issues raised by the PSC.

It is alleged Energy Transfer Partners violated some of the terms of its siting agreement with the PSC. One deals with the company clearing away more trees and brush than allowed in the permit. Another deals with a re-route of the pipeline around culturally significant areas. It’s alleged the company did the re-route without notifying the PSC.

The Public Service Commission has set a new date for an “investigative hearing” on what could be a violation of the siting approval issued to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

A third party construction inspector says the pipeline’s builders removed more trees and shrubs than they should have, under the terms of the siting permit. A hearing was to be held Thursday. But the company asked for some time to work out a settlement with PSC staffers –and the Commission earlier voted 2-1 to grant an extension.

On a 2 to 1 vote, the Public Service Commission has agreed to postpone Thursday’s hearing with the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

A construction consultant says Energy Transfer Partners cleared more trees and brush than allowed in the pipeline’s siting permit. The Thursday hearing was billed as an “investigative” hearing, to look further into the matter and see if a complaint needed to be issued.

The company sent a letter to the Commission, saying it would be willing to work on a resolution of the case before it would get to a formal hearings. And the PSC agreed.

The Public Service Commission has made a settlement offer to the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline in a case where the company didn’t tell the Commission is was re-routing the pipeline until after that re-route was done.

Energy Transfer Partners made an unanticipated cultural resource discovery. Under the siting permit, the PSC was to have been told about such finds, and the PSC would vote on the re-route. That wasn’t done. And the PSC issued an “order to show cause” to the company.